Widow mine
The widow mine is a terran unit introduced in Heart of the Swarm. Overview A support unit,2014-09-25, The Science Corner –The Threat Continues. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-09-27 the widow mine is a quadrapedal device that represents the next step in Dominion automated weaponry. It is just under half as tall as a terran wearing CMC armor. It is controlled remotely, piloted into a contested area and then set to activate when enemy units draw near. Once triggered, the widow mine launches a missile designed to explode in a firestorm of shrapnel, eliminating its primary target as well as any foes that might be nearby.Units: Widow Mine, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2014-05-12 These Sentinel missiles are of short range and pack a fragmentation warhead, that delivers superheated shrapnel to the target and the adjacent area on detonation. The missiles are assembled in an automated manufacturing plant located in the 'thorax' of the unit. After numerous friendly fire incidents, widow mines were outfitted with a powerful friend or foe identification system, which is loosely based on the operative algorithms present in all Crucio smart shells. Initially, the system worked as intended, but it didn't take long for casualty rates to rise once again. If the widow mine sustains crippling damage to any of its systems, an advanced heuristics recovery algorithm quickly begins the process of determining what's the best course of action to restore operative efficiency. After executing multiple simulated scenarios, the simple onboard AI reroutes power from affected systems and reprograms the unit's behavioral patterns to either allow it to complete its mission, or return home for repairs.2014-09-11, Widow Mine Science, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2014-09-12 Mira's Mercs modified widow mines to accommodate additional weaponry and explosives, after a long period of destructive explosive experimentation. Widow mines were common pets among the upper-class households of Tyrador IX, in spite of the occasional gory accident that would make the news as a result.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. Collections Tab: Skins. October 17, 2016 History The widow mine was inspired by zerg burrowers, and constructed around a modified version of the spider mine pioneered by Victor Kachinsky. Field tests revealed that the burrowing capabilities of the weapon could be improved at a nominal cost. The addition of neosteel carbide tips, and sonic oscillators that allow each leg to vibrate independently at high speeds, significantly reduced burrow times. The enhanced claws have seen much use in "Mine Fighting", a popular (and illegal) sport that pits two of these robots against each other for credits and glory. The design of these mines was further improved on by the research and development of Redell Quinton of Project Blackstone.Blizzard Entertainment. Project Blackstone, accessed on 2013-02-06 Widow mines have been used in diverse scenarios—perimeter defense, tactical ambushes, and political assassinations. An apocryphal record even attests to a single widow mine killing a corrupt colonial magistrate and his entourage of like-minded officials by destroying the dining room they were in. Upgrades in drilling technology later allowed the widow mine to reduce its burrow time by two-thirds, with the implementation of neosteel carbide tips and sonic oscillators.Barba, Rick. StarCraft Field Manual (hardcover). Insight Editions, November 17, 2015. Under the reign of Valerian Mengsk, technicians were perplexed by the occasional misfires of the past, and added more protective plating to the widow mines to better contain accidents and protect against unintended injuries. Always fond of robotics, Umojan Protectorate engineers held an exclusive competition to craft the perfect widow mine. They were thrilled to discover the winner was still a student finishing her degree. Their widow mine variant was incorporated into their arsenal.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. Collections Tab: Skins. October 17, 2016 Dominion marines have been known to pit widow mines against each other in friendly scuffles at the barracks. For the sake of balance, its drilling claws upgrade is disabled for these fights, as well as its missile launcher. Game Unit |fgcolor= |game=SC2 |image=WidowMine SC2 Head1.jpg |imgsize=200px |imgdesc= |image2=WidowMine SC2-HotS Rend1.png |imgsize2=200px |imgdesc2= |race=Terran |faction= Terran Dominion Mira's Marauders Defenders of Man Amon's Forces |campname=''Heart of the Swarm'' (versus) Legacy of the Void (versus) Co-op Missions |baseunit= |role= |useguns=Sentinel missiles |usearmor= |energy= |engyregen= |timedlife= |size= |type=*Ground *Mechanical |armortype=*Light |transcapacity= |transsize=2 |sight= |detect= |broodling= |costmin=75 |energycost= |costgas=25 |supply=2 |campcost= |time=21.4 21 (15 at Han and Horner level 6) (Co-op Missions) |produced=Factory |parent= |evolvesfrom= |req= |hotkey= |speed=3.94 2.81 (Co-op Missions) |accel= |lataccel= |decel= |creepbonus= |creepmultiplier= |collision= |shield= |shieldregen= |hp=90 |hpregen= |armor=0 |gun1name=Sentinel Missiles |gun1strength=125 + 35 vs shields (+40 splash damage (with +25 to shields) radius 1.75, deals full damage in the radius) |gun1attacks= |gun1ground=x |gun1air=x |gun1cool=29 |gun1range=5 |gun1upgrd= |gun2name=Sentinel Missiles (Co-op Han and Horner only) |gun2strength=125 + 35 vs shields (+40 Splash damage (with +40 to shields) radius 2, deals full damage in the radius) |gun2attacks= |gun2ground=x |gun2air=x |gun2cool=40 |gun2range=5 |gun2upgrd= |addons= |evolvesto= |produce= |allows= |research= |ability= |priority= |killscore= |makescore= |lostscore= |notes= |structure= |hero= |campaign= |npc= |cancel= |nocat= |concatbott= |concattop= }} Versus Widow mines are a burrowing assault unit in the terran arsenal. While unburrowed they cannot attack, but when burrowed, they can fire a sentinel missile at opponents, dealing splash damage in a massive area. This makes them effective against clumped low health units like mutalisks, or marines. However, the missile takes time to recharge after a use. Its attack only targets units, not structures. Widow mines are cloaked when initially burrowed, but become decloaked while their missile is on cooldown. With the Burrowing Claws upgrade, the widow mine will always remain cloaked while burrowed. Upgrades and Abilities Co-op Missions Widow mines are usable by Mira Han and Matt Horner in Co-op Missions. They can be built from assault galleons, and can be upgraded to send out five explosions upon death. Abilities and Upgrades Development The widow mine was previously a suicide unit.Blizzard Entertainment, Teamliquid. 2012-06-09. Heart of the Swarm Update. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-06-09.Dayvie. 2012-10-05. Thoughts on Balance Update #5 Heart of the Swarm Beta Discussion. Accessed 2012-10-13. In patch #8, it lost the ability to autoacquire cloaked units.Kaivax. 2012-12-05. Beta Balance Update #8 – December 5, 2012. Heart of the Swarm Beta Discussion Accessed 2012-12-05. For Patch 4.0, widow mines were altered to be observable when reloading their sentinel missile, even if still burrowed. This was done to "reduce certain game ending moments" and make cleaning up unattended widow mines easier, while still allowing the widow mine to perform its splash damage role if properly set up with a terran army or used defensively.2017-08-17, StarCraft II Multiplayer - Major Design Changes. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2017-08-20 Images ;Skins File:SpecialWidowMine SC2SkinImage.jpg|Dominion Special Forces widow mine File:WidowMine SC2-LotV Rend1.png|Mira's Marauders widow mine UmojaWidowMine Skin Game1.jpg|Umojan widow mine TyradorWidowMine SC2SkinImage.JPG|Tyrador widow mine ;Portraits File:Widowmine SC2-LotV Portrait2.jpg|Dominion Special Forces widow mine portrait File:Widowmine SC2-LotV Portrait3.jpg|Mira's Marauders widow mine portrait Widowmine SC2-LotV Portrait4.jpg|Umojan widow mine portrait TyradorWidowMinePortrait SC2SkinImage.JPG|Tyrador widow mine portrait References Category:StarCraft II Terran units Category:Terran Weapons Category:Terran robot and AI classes